Tony Stark Has A Heart
by Readysetrockit
Summary: Pepperony Drabble. Slightly Fluffy One-Shot. Please give it a chance. In which Tony reflects on his relationship with Pepper.


I awoke to the brisk sunlight shining through the crisp, white curtains. I felt a warm figure nestled up into my side, causing a smile to from at the corners of my lips. I looked over to see a naked Pepper, her eyes gently closed and her lips slightly ajar. Her glossy, strawberry blonde hair was fanned across the white pillows. The covers did little to hide her full chest, but it was mostly hidden by her long, silky locks. Pepper Potts, well, now Pepper Stark, is the definition of beautiful.

I smiled as I watched her sleep, the steady uprise and downfall of her chest reminding me that she was still there, that she wasn't murdered by Killian. The thought killed me. I could have lost her so easily. She almost left me. I shook off the thought, but I knew that if I had lost her, I would not have been able to carry on. I would be nothing without Pepper. I regretted every minute I spent worshipping those Iron Man suits. They were just a distraction, just a mere blindfold that kept me from seeing ever so clearly just what I had in front of me. I grimaced as I remembered how the suits caused problems between Pepper and I.

They were consuming all my time, the time that my precious Pepper deserved. She didn't deserve to be abandoned by aluminum contraptions, yet she stayed. Just the thought that she loved me enough to stay made me smile. I planted a gentle kiss on the side of Pepper's forehead, a small grin still appearing on her lips in her slumber. I hadn't remembered what had happened the day before until I saw the blue light of my shrapnel reflecting off the glass window. I had surgery after Pepper was cured of Killian's disease.

The surgery wasn't successful, and the shrapnel had to stay. Even the best doctors couldn't find a solution. JARVIS, being my super intelligent piece of artwork, found a solution, but it was in no way possible. I remembered the day previous, when I was really upset that the surgery wasn't a success. I had told Pepper I loved her, and that she deserved someone who didn't need a piece of metal in his chest to survive. Pepper had been my rock. She assured me that she not only wanted me, but that she needed me. She had told me that there was no one better. Long story short, we ended up making love that night.

It was slow, and gentle and it was Pepper's first time. I made sure to be gentle and as slow as I could, making it comfortable for her. After all, we had forever. I looked down at the glowing shrapnel in my chest. I didn't remember why I was so upset about it the day before. It provided a _perfect_ nightlight for Pepper and I the night before, and it had become a part of me. It had become a part of my name.

_Tony Stark, the 'billionaire playboy philanthropist' with the glowing, metal heart_. I chuckled to myself. That sounded like something the _old_ Tony Stark would have said, the man who couldn't be tied down. The man who didn't believe in love, the one who brought home a new girl every night, the one who spent more time on aluminum suits than his girlfriend.

_'The old Tony Stark is gone, and I'm back and better than ever baby! Funny, that sounds like something that the old Tony Stark would say...'_

I chuckled to myself and turned my attention back to my amazing wife. Her hand was positioned at an angle so that her shiny wedding ring was revealed. The thought brought back memories. A few days after she was infected by Killian, I had made her a custom ring. I had taken a piece of the glowing shrapnel and had it carved into a diamond shape. Our ceremony was at a small church, and it was vey last minute. We had decided after Killian's little stunt that life was too short and you have to make the most of it. We were married and I bought out an island in the Bahama's for our honeymoon. A few days after we were married was when my surgery failed. I intertwined our fingers and stroked my thumb across hers in circular patterns. Very softly into her ear, I whispered,'_I don't have my heart, but that's okay, because your holding it for me.' _


End file.
